At the Adams Park, it's John Quincy Adams' year

Friday

Apr 14, 2017 at 6:00 AMApr 14, 2017 at 10:13 PM

The Quincy national park will celebrate the 250th birthday of the nation's sixth president with a series of special events, including a dance concert, exhibits and a lecture. The park opens for its 71st season on April 19.

Lane Lambert The Patriot Ledger @llambert_ledger

QUINCY – For the Adams National Historical Park, this will be the year of John Quincy Adams.

The park will open for its 71st season on April 19, and the months ahead will feature a series of special lectures and exhibits to commemorate the 250th birthday of the nation’s sixth president, who was the son of President John Adams and Abigail Adams.

“We’re looking forward to the new season, and we have an exciting calendar of events.” deputy superintendent Caroline Keinath said.

John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767, in a frame house on what is now Franklin Street and was then in Braintree. He was an ambassador and Secretary of State, and served one term as president, from 1825-1829. He’s the only former president to be a Congressman, from 1831-1848. He was a member of Congress when he died.

The first special event for the man who’s affectionately known as “JQA” will be on April 27, with a lecture by authors David Waldstreicher and Mathew Mason on their new book, “John Quincy Adams and the Politics of Slavery.” That will be at 7 p.m. in the carriage house.

The park will celebrate Adams’ 250th birth date on July 11 this year with a music and dance concert by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers and the Rosewood Ensemble – who will invite visitors to join in on dances from Adams’ era.

Along with the concert and lecture, Adams will be featured in three exhibits in “Old House” and the Stone Library.

From April through July, a library display will highlight books and other material related to Adams’ impassioned Congressional fight against slavery. From August through October, a similar library exhibit will feature scientific texts from the Adams library.

Through the season, the mahogany dining room table in the “Old House” will be set with European china from the years Adams and his wife, Louisa Catherine Adams, spent abroad.

The Adams Park is located at 135 Adams St. The park’s visitor center is at 1250 Hancock St. in the Presidents Place office and retail building in Quincy Center. The “Old House” and other attractions are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

The season ends Nov. 10. For information and a full calendar of events, visit the park’s web site at nps.gov/adam.

In 2016 the park drew more than 199,000 visitors, including student groups and special events. That was 8 percent more than the 184,000 visitors in 2015.

Keinath said visitors may notice fewer park guides for the first couple of months. She said the park hasn’t been able to interview, conduct background checks and hire seasonal workers and volunteers as early as usual this year.

“Each year brings a unique set of challenges in running a park, and this year is no different,” she said. She said groups and families should consider planning July and August visits, “to be sure we’re fully staffed.”

The Adams Park has a $2.4 million budget, with a full-time staff of 30.

Meanwhile, the calendar is set. This year’s will also include a June 17 Bunker Hill Day trolley trip to Penn’s Hill – where Abigail Adams and a 7-year-old John Quincy Adams saw and heard the 1775 battle between colonial and British troops – and annual July 4 programs.

Two other lectures related to John Quincy Adams will be held in October.

On Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., William Leeman will speak on the debate during Adams’ term about creating the U.S. Naval Academy. On Oct. 29 at 2 p.m., Fred Kaplan will lecture on “A Continual Torment: John Quincy Adams, Lincoln and Slavery.”

This will be the year of John Quincy Adams at the Adams National Historical Park. The park will open for its 71st season on Wednesday, and the months ahead will feature a series of special lectures and exhibits to commemorate the 250th birthday of the nation’s sixth president, the son of President John Adams and Abigail Adams.“We’re looking forward to the new season, and we have an exciting calendar of events.” Deputy Superintendent Caroline Keinath said.

John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767, in a frame house on what is now Franklin Street and was then in Braintree. He was an ambassador and secretary of state, and he served one term as president, from 1825 to 1829.

He served in Congress from 1831 to 1848 and was a member of Congress when he died. He is the only person to have served in Congress after being president.

The first special event for the man affectionately known as “JQA” will be held at 7 p.m. April 27 in the carriage house. Authors David Waldstreicher and Mathew Mason will talk about their new book, “John Quincy Adams and the Politics of Slavery.”

The park will celebrate Adams’ 250th birthday on July 11 with a music and dance concert by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers and the Rosewood Ensemble. Visitors will be invited to join in on dances from Adams’ era.

Adams will be featured in three exhibits in the “Old House” and the Stone Library.

From April through July, a library display will highlight books and other material related to Adams’ impassioned congressional fight against slavery. From August through October, a similar library exhibit will feature scientific texts from the Adams library.

Through the season, the mahogany dining room table in the “Old House” will be set with European china from the years Adams and his wife, Louisa Catherine Adams, spent abroad.

The Adams National Historical Park is at 135 Adams St. Its visitor center is at 1250 Hancock St. in the Presidents Place office and retail building in Quincy Center. The “Old House” and other attractions are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

The season ends Nov. 10. For information and a full calendar of events, visit the park’s website at nps.gov/adam.

In 2016, the park drew more than 199,000 visitors, including student groups. That was 8 percent more than the 184,000 visitors in 2015.

Keinath said visitors may notice fewer park guides for the first couple of months this year. She said the park hasn’t been able to interview, conduct background checks and hire seasonal workers and volunteers as early as usual this year.

“Each year brings a unique set of challenges in running a park, and this year is no different,” she said.

She said groups and families should consider planning July and August visits, “to be sure we’re fully staffed.”

The Adams Park has a budget of $2.4 million and a full-time staff of 30. The Trump administration has proposed a $1.5 billion budget cut for the Department of the Interior, which includes the National Park Service. That would be a 12 percent decrease from the department’s current budget.

How the Adams Park and other national parks will be affected if Congress approves the cut is not clear.

Meanwhile, the park’s 2017 calendar is set. It includes a June 17 Bunker Hill Day trolley trip to Penn’s Hill – where Abigail Adams and a 7-year-old John Quincy Adams saw and heard the 1775 battle between colonial and British troops – and annual July 4 programs.

Two other lectures related to John Quincy Adams will be held in October.

At 7 p.m. Oct. 12, William Leeman will speak about the debate during Adams’ term about creating the U.S. Naval Academy. At 2 p.m. Oct. 29, Fred Kaplan will lecture on “A Continual Torment: John Quincy Adams, Lincoln and Slavery.”

Reach Lane Lambert at llambert@ledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @LLambert_Ledger.